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Aug 28, 2017 With hurricane season in full swing and scenes of widespread devastation of Hurricane Harvey taking over the news, there’s no better time to educate yourself should your home be the next one to flood. Here’s how to salvage (or toss) everything, from flooring and food to furniture and clothes, after the water recedes. 1. Walk around your home. After an evacuation, don’t let your family rush back Water Damage Restoration and Clean Up Checklist Sutton MA 01590 into the place. Check for issues like loose or fallen power cables, damaged gas lines and cracks in the foundation or in beams. Next assess your roof. Shingles may need repair. If you have tress nearby, carefully check their stability. Advertisement – Continue Reading Below 2. Evaluate the indoor scene. Before you tackle clean up, know that severe damage requires a pro. They have heavy-duty equipment to remove water and Sutton MA 01590 the expertise to check for mold. Plus, any issues with walls and floors should be professionally handled. You should be able to manage minor flooding yourself, but don’t bother trying to save any items contaminated by raw sewage, oil or other waste ” they’ll need to be be discarded. Look at the ceiling: If you see water spots, it’s an indication of roofing damage. Most Popular GH Lab tip: If How to Clean Up After a Flood - Deep Clean Carpeting and Furniture Sutton MA 01590 the power is still out, use a flashlight, not a candle, to see things as open flames can burn items or cause gases to ignite. 3. Start clean-up quickly. To keep mold at bay, it’s important to dry water-logged items (everything from furniture to small knick-knacks) within 48 hours. The longer they remain wet, the more likely mildew stains will appear. Begin by opening windows and using fans and dehumidifiers Sutton MA 01590 to keep air circulating. 4. Salvage and clean carpeting. It’s best to send removable carpets and area rugs out for professional cleaning. Unfortunately, installed carpeting (and the padding underneath) that’s been immersed in water can’t be adequately cleaned and should be thrown away. If only part of your carpeting got wet, use a wet-dry vacuum to remove as much water as possible. Then, call in professional cleaners, or clean and Sutton MA 01590 rinse the carpet with an extraction cleaner (also known as a steam cleaner, like one of these machines we tested in the Good Housekeeping Institute). Use fans to speed up drying. Depending on the extent of the damage, it may be necessary to pull the carpeting up to thoroughly dry the padding and floor. Plus, you may need to replace the padding to prevent mold. After cleaning and drying, spray Sutton MA 01590 with disinfectant spray, like Lysol. 5. Tackle furniture. Take solid wood furniture outdoors, and remove drawers and doors to clean it (swollen parts may need to dry first, if they can’t easily be removed). Thoroughly brush or wash dirty furniture with a well-wrung cloth dipped in a mild soap and water solution. Use a cloth wrung in clear water to rinse. Allow the pieces to dry out of direct sunlight. Sutton MA 01590 Badly damaged furniture may need professional refinishing, but others might just need a new coat of polish. Upholstered furniture should be professionally cleaned, and flood-damaged mattresses should be discarded. 6. Inspect appliances. For things like coffee makers and toasters, look at cords for fraying or exposed wires. For fridges, ranges and washers, call a service company to check the safety of connections and components. Replace anything that appears to be Sutton MA 01590 severely damaged. 7. Open up the fridge. If you’re away from home for more than four hours, toss perishables like meat, dairy and leftovers. It’s OK to save condiments. Freezer contents are safe for about 48 hours, if the freezer is full. If only half-full, you’ve got 24 hours. GH Lab tip: As soon as you hear a storm is coming, be proactive and freeze milk, meat and poultry. 8. Sutton MA 01590 Clean clothing ” twice. For washable fabrics, treat any stains with a prewash spray (we like Shout Advanced Gel) and wash in cool water with a powdered laundry detergent. Powdered detergents work well at removing clay and dirt that floodwater may contain, and cool water keeps stains from setting. After this initial wash, re-launder everything, this time in the hottest water that’s safe for the fabrics with powdered detergent and Sutton MA 01590 either chlorine or all-fabric bleach. Air dry all garments until you are certain any stains are removed. Take non-washable garments to the dry cleaner. 9. Beware of carbon monoxide poisoning. If you’re relying on a charcoal grill or camp stove for cooking, don’t even think about firing it up indoors. When used in enclosed spaces these types of grills can produce lethal levels of the gas, which is colorless and Sutton MA 01590 odorless ” but still deadly. Same goes for portable generators. 10. Document the damage. It may be hard emotionally, but if you want to file an insurance claim, make sure you record all the damage with clear pictures and thorough notes. Related Stories

Rain, Hurricanes, plumbing issues, whatever the cause may be… water damage and flooding can happen to any home. Unfortunately that means cleaning up and repairing the damage. Let’s take a look at the real costs of water damage and flooding in your home.

Clean-Up

Depending on how much water is sitting in your home or basement, pumping out the water starts at $150 for those who want to Water Damage Cleanup - What To Do After The Flood Sutton MA 01590 do it themselves and $500 for professionals depending on the amount of water. If it’s damage from a storm and you have to clean up after debris and mud you’ll have to factor that into the cost. Then you’ll need to get a dehumidifier that can run about $200 – $300 for a residential size.

There are also different types of water: clean water, greywater, and blackwater. Sutton MA 01590 Clean water comes from a pipe without any contaminants. Greywater comes from an appliance overflow such as a dishwasher or washing machine and has some contaminants. Blackwater has the most contaminants and comes from sewer water or something else. The more dangerous the water the more costly the cleanup.

Repairs

Replacing walls, floors, ceilings, and roofs can add up costing you anywhere from $500 to upwards of $10,000. Water Damage Cleanup - What To Do After The Flood Sutton MA 01590 It also depends on how much of the home is affected. If you need a new roof, and new floors and walls you’re looking at a pretty hefty bill.

If your electrical wiring was damaged it’s going to cost you an average of $135 just for the electrician. According to Thumbtack, rewiring a 10×10 room starts at $900, to rewire the whole house, you’re looking at $9,000 Sutton MA 01590 – $12,000 minimum.

Additional Costs

Not all water damage comes from flooding, sometimes water can other types of damage such as mold. Mold remediation starts at $500 going as high as $6,000. Another way water can damage your home is by cracking your foundation if you have fix your foundation it’s going to cost you as much as $10,000 depending on the severity.

Let’s face it water damage is Sutton MA 01590 expensive. Taking the right precautions to protect your home is the best way to avoid footing the bill. Good insurance will also help, but depending on your coverage you may end up paying a lot out of pocket. If your home is damaged beyond your means to get it repaired or you just don’t want to deal with headache, contact a real estate solutions company to Sutton MA 01590 learn about your options.